


Sunrise

by PalpyDaddy



Series: Charlie Swan, The Vampire Hunter [1]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Hunters & Hunting, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29504409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PalpyDaddy/pseuds/PalpyDaddy
Summary: Charlie Swan knew he was a lonely man and that it made him weak. He loved his daughter and it took everything in him to keep her away. He never wanted her to see who he was or his profession. But he was weak.He thought she would be safer without him until Renee called him begging Charlie to take Bella and keep her safe. Now he must balance being a father and upholding his oath to protect humanity.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Series: Charlie Swan, The Vampire Hunter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2167284
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

He’d never given much thought to how he could die, but dying to make the world a safer place for the ones he loved seemed like a pretty good way to go.

Charlie had been feeling lonely these past couple years. He understood why Renee left him, she couldn’t handle his life and he doesn’t blame her. Sometimes he wishes he had done something else. His brothers already sent their children off just like their father before them. He had run into one of his nephews when he was taken out of state on business. He was just like the rest of them, alone and accepting of it.

Maybe that was the problem, Charlie didn’t want to accept it. He loved his daughter, enjoyed seeing her over the summers when he took a month to go to Phoenix. Bella was the light of his life, he couldn’t see himself sending her away when she was ready. No, he wasn’t his father.

The only credit he really gave to his father was that he was always there when he was growing up. He has so many memories of camping trips, family dinners and training with his brothers. It might not have been a healthy way of growing up but at least he always saw his parents. Charlie didn’t like to think that he was an absent father.

Rene made sure that they talked over the phone and had Bella send letters. He loves Bella’s handmade cards, he started keeping them in a scrapbook. He saw it as a reminder that Bella still loved him and that he made the right decision.

He really wasn’t expecting that call on a brisk December morning, he wasn’t even sure Renee woke up that early. He picked up not knowing what to expect but hearing Rene crying was never something he would have guessed.

“Charlie! Charlie, she can’t stay here. I need you to take her please,” Renee practically screamed over the receiver. It was quite the wakeup call. Renee was never this high strung.

“Calm down Renee, just tell me what happened. Is Bella ok? Did something happen to her?” Charlie tried to keep the panic out of his voice, it wouldn’t help.

“I saw one, it looked right at me. Charlie, it was horrible. It looked at me and smiled like it knew,” Renee sobbed. This wasn’t good.

He had promised her when they left that she and Bella would be far from him so they would be far from his work. Those things didn’t like the south west. It was too bright, too exposing.

“I need you to take her Charlie,” Renee cried,” You know we can’t keep her safe. What would Phil even do? Hit it with a bat?” Renee broke into another anguished sob, Charlie hadn’t heard her like this since they decided she needed to leave with Bella.

“Rene, you know it isn’t going to be safer with me. I might find them and dispose of them but you know their kind can be vindictive. I don’t want to put Bella in a situation where I can’t protect her,” Charlie tried to reason.

“You’re not listening to me! It was right outside the house, it wanted to come into the house but couldn’t because of those things you put in the windows. It just stared at me and smiled. It looked at me like it knew me, I think it knows who we are to you.” Renee’s tone turned serious,” She’ll die if she stays with me. You need to take her.”

“Are you sure it knows,” he was starting to panic. Renee was right, what could she or Phil do without having the knowledge he had. Charlie knew what his father would do, cut them off completely. You can’t be targeted through your family if you don’t have one. It’s why he was sent away, it’s why his brothers sent their boys away, it’s why he should keep Bella away. But he’s a weak man.

He can’t do it.

Renee snapped him back into reality. “I’m going to send her up in two days, I’ll send you her flight information. Please Charlie, keep her safe.”

“Tell me what it looks like. I need to make sure if it comes in the area I can’t dispose of it.” Charlie wouldn’t let anything touch his precious girl.

“I’ll write a description, I’ll paint it. Anything that will help. Kill it if you find it Charlie. I know it wants Bella,” was all Renee said before hanging up the phone. She knew he would find it, she knew he wouldn’t let one of these creatures destroy their girl.

Charlie knew he wasn’t a good father, he knew the others thought he was pathetic, and he knew he was the weakest of their order. He was a perfect target to send a message. He wouldn’t let that happen. He hated those things, he would always hate them and the thought of one of them trying to hurt his daughter filled him with rage.

Charlie lunged out of his chair and flung open the cover leading to the basement. He needed to prepare. How dare this creature even come near his daughter, she’s never even seen one. No, he may have been a weak man but he would be strong for her. He wouldn’t let it harm his little girl.

He would kill it before it even set eyes on Bella.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The call he received that afternoon was as much of a surprise as Renee’s. He saw Bella’s name flash on his phone accompanied by a picture he had taken of her on one of his trips south. She had grown him a cactus that year. It always made him smile.

Charlie clicked to accept and held the phone up to his ear. “Are you and mom crazy? You’re just going to move me in the middle of the school year without even asking if I want that?” Definitely her mother’s daughter.  
“You can’t just trade me off like furniture. I think I deserve to have a say.”

He probably should have expected that she would be angry; it was all last-minute. He couldn’t be upset that she didn’t want to live with him, he wasn’t the best father to her. “Bells look, I know this is sudden…”

“Dad! Why do you even want me now? Mom says you miss me and want to make up for my childhood. Like I get that but this feels more midlife crisis than wanting to live with your daughter.” Bella let out a sigh over the phone. Charlie wasn’t sure how to respond. He knows why she needs to come up to Forks but maybe she has a point. He was a weak man. “Is everything okay? Mom’s been crying every time she looks at me. Phil says it’s not me, it’s her. It’s weird.”

“Your mom called me this morning, she had a dream about taking you away from me and she felt guilty. You know how your mom is.” It was a good lie, Renee always says dreams are the window into our subconscious. “She’s probably crying because of the dream. You have my hair and it’s bringing it back.”

Bella chuckled softly, “You’re probably right. She married Phil because she had that dream where he grew into a tree and that meant he was supposed to help her on the path to new growth.”

“You’re mom was always into that spiritualism, never really understood it myself.”

“She’s getting into healing crystals. The house looks like a rock museum,” Bella’s voice softened, “It’s not that I don’t want to live with you dad, I just don’t like having the choice taken away from me.”

That hit Charlie right in the gut, it’s what his father had done to him. Even when he was trying to be better he still made the same mistakes. He was a horrible father. “Maybe we can find something that can be all yours. You can have all authority over it.” He was a horrible father but he’ll try not to be.

“I mean I’ll have my own room, can I paint it?” She sounded hopeful.

“I don’t see why not, I’ll have it ready for you when you get here.” It was the least he could do. He wasn’t planning on selling the place so why not let her have some fun.

“Do you have a garden? It’d be fun to learn how to plant up in Washington and I’ll have a few months to get ready,” Bella said excitedly. “Mom says you never plant anything.”

“Well there’s some dirt in the back you can have. I don’t have much use for it.”

“I can grow us some vegetables, maybe some herbs or I can make it a flower bed.” She paused and Charlie held his breath. “I know you didn’t mean to pass me off. I’m happy you want to spend more time with me, it just feels like you all are doing this out of nowhere.”

“I’m sorry Bells, your mom may have had the dream but I’ve also been feeling guilty. I miss you and I’d like you to come live with me. Your mom says you haven’t made too many friends at school and thinks a change would do you some good. I agree with her but we should have asked you. So if you really don’t want to come up then you can stay with your mom. I’ll come visit early this year instead.” It was a dangerous plan but he couldn’t keep his daughter prisoner, she’ll act out and that would just lead to danger.

“I’ll come dad, maybe next time ask me first. I’ll tell mom we talked and I’ll see you on Friday.”

“Alright Bells, I’ll see you on Friday. Wear something warm.” Sometimes a gamble works, Charlie thought to himself.

“I’ll call you later, I think mom is trying to break down my door. Bye dad.” The phone hung up. Charlie was feeling better about the situation. His father would never have admitted weakness. He’d be a better dad for Bella.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're having fun.

Charlie read through the email Renee sent over and over to commit it to memory. She must have spent all night on the picture, he’s never known Renee to half ass her art. The eyes were what drew his attention, he could see why she was so frightened. The eyes were that of a predator. It disgusted him. 

Renee had been thorough and even spotted two more with the creature. Charlie knew it had to be a targeted attack and he would be ready for them if they came north. The house needed to be checked to make sure nothing would get in. Charlie had added extra protections to the windows in Bella’s room. It took him all night but he couldn’t be bothered to worry about lack of sleep. They wouldn’t open so he would have to tell her that the windows need to be replaced. He could sit on that lie for a while.

Charlie was proud of the work he had done on the old house. It had taken years to get all the parts working. He may be the only one of his family that kept his child close but at least he had the best home security. It took years to perfect the traps. Nothing was getting into his house. He had devoted so much time to setting it all up that the first year he had lived in Forks most of the town had thought he was some hermit. 

Charlie rose from the computer and headed down into the basement. He had prepared his jacket and kit the day before after Renne’s call but hadn’t actually used it. It’s never a good idea to go out when you’re in a rage, it leaves you vulnerable. As he reached the bottom step, he felt grateful for his decision to sure up his protections. He wasn’t in a good place last night.

He had thrown everything about the room trying to find his best gear. It was a bit of an overreaction. He needed to be better. The walls of the dark room had been covered by stakes, firearms and various hand tools. Now all that decorated the walls were hooks and ties, their contents having been thrown onto the cracked concrete floor. He rarely lost his control like this. He had packed his crossbow in his rush with only silver ammo. That wouldn’t do well for questioning, they needed to be alive. Charlie packed his wooden arrows and made sure his pistol was ready for the worst. He didn’t think he’d actually confront them. They would most likely watch him for a few weeks to find his weak point, the ones that target are always the most cautious. 

Charlie grabbed his gear and ascended the stairs. He could deal with the mess later. The station had given him a week to get the house ready for Bella and he would use the time wisely. If the creatures had headed North, they would be in the area by now. He felt confident they would, they’ve been caught so why wouldn’t their target be sent to a more fortified location? Hopefully he’ll catch sight of them within a few months, the area lent well to stalking for both the predators and the hunters. The ones he had caught in the past seemed to like this area. Plenty of hikers to snatch and easy to hide in the trees after hunting in the larger cities. He’d find them.

His hike into the woods was nice, he always loved nature. He knew his trails well and could navigate them in his sleep. He had set up trail cams a few years back and they had been a lifesaver. The camera couldn’t catch an image of the creatures but he knew what their running looked like. He had met many hunters who had said that these creatures were the greatest predator. Charlie knew he was a weak man but he had seen those things crawl like a kicked dog for a single drop of blood so really how great could they be. 

It was their weakness that had made Charlie successful. He knew how to guide them through his forest so they would fall into his traps. Last week one had fallen into one of his stake pits. Those were always nice, you just had to burn them after fishing them out. He figured it must have been starved and followed his trail. He made sure to freshen up the blood bags every two weeks if he rationed his stores well, a man can only give so much. Maybe he'd swipe a bag next time he was needed at the hospital, he had a talent for being unseen.

He had packed a pint of blood with his gear, thankfully the basement wasn’t heated and it was still usable. He came up to one of his scenters hooked to the tree and took note of repairs he’ll need to make. The battery would hold for another month but it was otherwise fine.

He had come up with the idea from hunting with Harry a few years back. Harry had mentioned something about keeping meat fresh to attract predators and how if you kept some blood warm it’d be like it was freshly spilt. He made his contraptions to keep it hydrated and dripping, like a wounded animal wandering the forest. Predators were stupid when it came to following a trail of blood.

Charlie moved to open the container of blood to fill the basin. He could smell the iron waft into the air when he began pouring the liquid into his contraption. The blood ran up the tube, the scarlet color contrasted against the bark of the tree. He knew it reached its destination when the patter of blood dripping onto the forest floor reached his ears. 

He continued on to the next scenter. Better not waste the day. 

He was halfway through when he noticed the plants had parted. It wasn’t the usual path of an animal, he could clearly see the dirt dug up between rows of upturn roots. The dirt was soft so it must have been fresh. He decided to follow it, he could really use this.

The trail seemed to be wandering from scenter to scenter. Clearly it was looking for an easy meal, a slave to its instincts. The brush was parted, the path welcoming his stride pointing towards the creature that dared to disturb the forest. 

He heard a snap ahead of him. It must have sensed his blood, it would find him soon and he could let out some of this pent up anger. 

Charlie stilled his steps and reached for his crossbow strapped to his back. He knelt onto the upturned dirt and balanced the weapon on his knee. He would need to be loaded before the creature showed itself.

Another snap drew his ear first and then the smell reached his nose soon after. He had cleared out too many dens to ever forget what they smell like. Death, decay and desperation. He felt a shiver run down his spine from the anticipation. 

Charlie rose from the ground, brandishing the crossbow. He’s done this song and dance countless times. He knew he was an intriguing prey, his heart had stopped beating in fear by the time he was 16. He felt nothing but disgust and excitement brewing under the surface. 

He surveyed the surrounding wood. His eyes scanned the dense forest for any signs of the creature. They liked to play games to get the blood pumping but he never gave them the satisfaction. He smirked to himself, these things never understood that not all prey is helpless.

Another snap, louder with intent to draw attention.

Good, it’s getting antsy. He’ll find it soon.

A crack on a tree, Charlie’s eyes shifted towards the sound. The tree had a gash, a cut running deep into the bark. He smirked, it’s trying to scare him.

The forest had gone silent, animals hiding to avoid the creature who reeked of death. The very air was thick with tension and he could feel the thrall of a creature trying to cause him to panic. Humans are easier to catch when they attempt a frenzied escape. Charlie remained in his spot on the creature’s path, he knew what was coming. He felt the familiar itch in his finger as it rested against the trigger of the crossbow. He exhaled and felt the calm wash over him as he prepared himself to strike.

A thud sounded in the still forest and Charlie turned to the sound. There it was.

Charlie had long gotten over his fear of the creatures and had never flinched when seeing one before him in his adult life. But this one made his blood run cold. It’s stature wasn’t all that impressive and it’s confidence hadn’t fazed him. It was the eyes that drew his attention, they were the eyes of a predator. 

The predator.

It opened its mouth to speak, probably a last ditch attempt to get his blood pumping, but Charlie acted before it could. The rage from last night resurfaced and he acted out of impulse. Charlie aimed the crossbow towards the creature’s heart, his plans of trapping and subduing drowned out by the need to protect and avenge. 

The bow fired.

Charlie felt disappointment at the creature dodging the stake, the wood whizzing past and declaring his failures with a thump against some tree. The creature looked stunned, it wasn’t expecting its prey to fight back. It must be an idiot thinking a hunter wouldn’t put up much fight. He could work with that. 

The shock dissipated and the creature’s face slowly morphed into a devilish smile. “You’re a lively one!” It exclaimed, “You’re much more fun than I thought you’d be.” The creature started laughing. It was a deep laugh that broke through the silence, the echoes mocking Charlie and his irrational attack. Charlie stood there, his free hand inching towards his pistol, trying not to draw attention. He would need to play this slowly.

The creature sighed and its eyes sized Charlie up. “Well old man, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I’d go the easy way if I were you, less pain.”

“You think I’d give up on my daughter that easy?” Charlie was seething, “I’ll destroy you.”

The creature furrowed its brow but Charlie couldn’t be bothered to think why. He pulled his pistol from his jacket and fired off three shots. The creature responded to the sound but when it stumbled in its step Charlie knew he had hit his mark. 

The creature grasped its arm as it hung limply at his side. A growl rumbled in its chest. Charlie had expected it to attack but the creature merely turned and ran from their standoff. So not only was it an idiot but it was also a coward.

Charlie sighed. 

The fact that the creature had already traveled north was telling. Clearly it wanted to hurt him. He would need to plan, it was smart enough to lure him into the woods. He was lucky it hadn’t expected him to put up much of a fight but that luck will run out. 

Charlie turned to head back to his scenters. He wasn’t sure if the creature would fall for it again but his father always said ‘it was better to be prepared and not use it than have nothing and need it.’ Bella would be here tomorrow, he wasn’t going to take any chances on her safety. He should really dig another pit.

He would be ready, Bella’s life depended on it and he would make sure nothing would hurt her. “Damn vampires,” Charlie muttered to himself as he traversed the path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi it's Emily! I'm having a lot of fun with this. It's like all the fear of being a Twilight as a 13 year old has dissipated and I can enjoy the fandom at last. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will have some grade A dad content.


	3. Chapter 3

Charlie felt jittery the entire drive to the airport. He knew nothing would happen to her while she was in the airport but the encounter from the day before kept playing in his mind. He’d feel better once he got her back to the house.

It wasn’t until he was waiting beside the TSA checkpoint, scanning travelers passing through the arrivals walkway that he actually felt a sense of relief. He wasn’t the best father but he knew Bella would be safe with him. Renee made the right call, Bella needed someone prepared to handle this. 

She was always smiling when he came to visit. Excited for the fishing trip they always took to Lake Pleasant. Excited to show him all her new plants of the season. Just excited to spend time with her dad. She once told him it didn’t matter what they did as long as she got to spend time with him. Charlie treasured those moments, he looked forward to it even if he had to clean out his pits or repair damaged windows from vampires trying to sneak in when he returned home. 

When Bella finally stepped onto the walkway, he was a bit taken aback. He berates himself for expecting that smile today, he had ripped her life apart and he could see she didn’t want this. The sullen look on her face said it all. 

Charlie waved, anything to break the building tension, but he knew it didn’t do anything. She waved back as she came closer. He felt every step she took deep in his heart as if she was walking straight into a prison. 

She passed under the arrivals sign and let out a shaky breath. Everything about her screamed that she wanted to turn and get on a plane back to Phoenix. They stood there for what felt like hours, neither really wanting to speak. Charlie knew this was his moment to set the tone of her stay with him and he was failing miserably. It was embarrassing how long it took him to find his voice. “Hey Bells, good to see you.” 

“Yeah, good to see you too dad.” She had yet to smile.

“Mmm,” Charlie can’t believe he grunted, “let’s get your bags and head back to town.” Charlie wasn’t sure what to do to make this feel normal but he was positive that patting her shoulder and then turning to head to baggage wasn’t it. As he walked towards the other end of the airport he could hear her say “Uh, yeah ok.” This was going terribly.

He ended up carrying her bag as they walked silently side by side to the car. The tension grew thicker with every passing second as he continued to say nothing. What could he say? ‘Sorry for moving you up here in two days but there’s a vampire after you?’ He knew that from Bella’s perspective, her mother just shipped her off to her father who’s never wanted to live with her. He knew this was happening for a good reason but he couldn’t get over completely uprooting his daughter. He was a horrible father. It wasn’t until they both sat down in the car that Bella broke the silence.

“How’s the weather up here?” She was just trying to make conversation but at least it was a start. 

“Cold and wet, we’ll probably get some ice next week.” He hoped she would keep asking questions so they could have some kind of conversation. 

“I hate the cold,” she stated flatly. They passed another few minutes in silence. Charlie switched on the stereo to have at least some background noise. The Eagles CD began and he felt himself calming down, he always liked ‘The Last Resort’. Then they started describing the beauty of the desert. 

Panic burst through him, causing Charlie to scramble to switch to something else. He didn’t want to add insult to injury. Bella watched his arm move frantically to pull the CD out and callously toss it into the back seat. He eyed the CD holder strapped to the sun visor and decided that Zeppelin probably wouldn’t offend. He felt a bead of sweat crawl across his temple as the CD slid into the player. When the first song started to play and Charlie let out a breath of relief. God, he was bad at this. 

Charlie kept his eyes forward, not wanting to see his daughter’s reaction. A ring of laughter reached his ears and he turned to see Bella giggling. ‘Well at least I got a smile’ was all he thought before he joined her.

They laughed together until it died down enough for Bella to speak. “You’re really trying, aren’t you?” 

“I didn’t think you’d like hearing about some desert,” he confessed.

“It was fine dad, you worry too much.” He felt his mouth turn down in disbelief. You can’t worry too much in his profession. 

“I want you to be comfortable. We’ll get some paint this weekend for your room and you get whatever you want to fix up the garden. God knows I won’t do anything with it.” Bella laughed again and he felt like his luck was turning around. 

“What can you plant up here? You don’t get much of a planting season.”

“Well,” Charlie paused for a moment, he really should have thought about this before picking her up. “I think Billy plants beets. Whatever he does to pickle them tastes better than anything you could get out of a can.”

“I’ve never grown beets before. Should be fun. Could you ask him if he has any seeds from the last harvest?” She sounded hopeful, so this must be some important plant thing.

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t give you some Bells, he’s stopping by today anyway. We’ll ask him.” Charlie would stress how important this is, Billy would understand. Hell, Charlie would pay him for just one beet seed. 

“Why is he coming over? I figured we’d eat dinner and I’d unpack.”

“Well, I found you a truck,” Charlie told her with pride, he wanted her to have some freedom and Billy never asked questions about the modifications he asked him to add. Fathers were supposed to get their kids their first car. He’d have a win. 

“Oh, well is it nice,” her voice was quiet, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

“Good price on it, pretty cheap and Billy did work on it so I know it’ll be safe,” he tried to sell it. He wanted to do something fatherly. 

“How cheap is cheap? I’ve been saving up for a car but I’m not sure I can afford something now,” she looked down at her hands, calculating. 

“Bells, I already bought it. It’s a welcome gift,” God he was stupid. She thought he wanted her to buy it. Had he not given her enough gifts as a kid? 

Bella stared at him in shock, but he saw her start to grin from the corner of his eye. “Thanks dad, I appreciate it. You didn’t have to do that.”

The rest of the drive was easier than how it started. He listened to Bella talk about what she was going to plant this summer and the seeds she was able to bring. She talked about her research on Forks and the places she wants to visit. It felt good to see her excited, he would have to add this to his treasured moments.

**Author's Note:**

> We worked together on this one. Emily having read the books and seeing the movies in middle school and Tyler coming into the series during the 2020 renaissance. We both love Charlie and he deserves to be in the spotlight.


End file.
